Improvement in thill-couplings



W. B. OWEN j? E. I. McCLINTOCK.

' TELL-COUPLING.

No.188,663; v Patented March 20,1877.

PATENT OEEIoE.

WILLIAM B. OWEN AND ELIAS J.

McoLINTooK, oE EAsT SAGINAW,

MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN THlLL-COUPLINGS.

Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 188,663, dated March 20,1877; application filed July 12, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, W. B. OWEN and E. J. MoGLrNTooK, of the city ofEast Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, haveinvented a new and useful mode or plan for attaching and detaching theshafts and poles or tongues to and from all kinds of vehicles drawn byhorses or other animals, and .for launching life or other boats fromships deck or other places of rest; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation of the same, reference being had-to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of a vehicle-axle to which our improved thill-coupling isrepresented as attached. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views, and Fig. 4 is afront view of the flat bolt by means of which the parts are attached.

Our invention relates to improvements in thill-couplings; and consistsin attaching to the inner end of the shaft a slotted cylinder, whichreceives a concentric slotted revolving barrel, the slots in thecylinder and barrel registering with each other, when the shaft isvertical, by engaging with a flat stationary cross-bolt in the shaftattachment, the barrel being revolved by the fiat cross-bolt as theshaft is brought into a horizontal position, the slots only registeringwhen the shafts are vertical, whereby the shafts are securely coupled tothe axle, and can readily be removed from, or attached thereto, ashereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, the numberl represents a portion of avehicle-axle provided with a clip or shackle, 2, of ordinaryconstruction, to the heads a of which the stationary flat bolt 7 (seenin Figs. 2 and 4) is securely attached. The number 3 represents a partof a vehicle-shaft, to the rear end of which is attached the hollowcylinder 8, provided with a slot, 9, adapted to receive the upper edge,or one of the smaller faces, of

the stationary flat bolt 7. 10 represents a revolvlng barrel, providedwith a slot, 11, which is received in the opening or hollow of thecylinder 8, and freely revolves therein. 6 represents a piece of rubberplaced in the opening in the shaft attachment, between the cylinder andrear face of the opening in said attachment, to prevent longitudinalmovement of the shaft and rattling.

The operation of the parts, in connecting and disconnecting the shafts,is as follows: In coupling, the shafts are held in a vertical position,the slots 9 and 11 in the cylinder and barrel registering, when theslots are passed over the upper and smaller face of the flat stationarybolt engaging therewith. The shafts are then turned down into ahorizontal position, the flat bolt causing the barrel to turn in itsseat in the cylinder, whereby the slots are no longer in register, andthe coupling is complete. To disconnect the shafts, they are turnedupward into a verticalposition, the flat bolt turning the revolvingbarrel until its slot registers with the slot in the cylinder, when theshafts can readily be disconnected.

It will be seen that as the shafts cannot assume a vertical positionwhen an animal is harnessed thereto, and that the slots in the cylinderand barrel are never in register, excepting when the shafts arevertical, there is no liability of the uncoupling of the shafts indriving.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The shaft 3, provided at its inner end with the slotted cylinder 8, incombination with the revolving slotted barrel l0 and flat bolt 7,substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

. W. B. OWEN.

E. J. MoGLINTOOK. Witnesses:

JAMES H. GONKLIN, J. E. HATHAWAY, L. 0. DRIGG-S, B. Z. SMITH.

